title: The burden of rotavirus disease in Denmark 2009-2010.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study sought to determine the incidence and the burden of severe diarrheal disease in Denmark with emphasis on rotavirus (RV) disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was designed as a national prospective disease surveillance of children <5 years of age hospitalized for acute gastroenteritis in Denmark during March 2009 to April 2010, using rapid RV and adenovirus antigen detection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 3100 hospitalizations annually among Danish children <5 years of age can be attributed to acute gastroenteritis and 1210 (39%) of these to RV disease. The majority of RV-associated hospitalizations occur among children ≤ 24 months of age (RV-associated hospitalization rate: 7.7/1000 children ≤ 24 months of age and 3.8/1000 children <5 years of age). Although the well-known seasonal pattern of RV was evident with a peak during the spring months of March through April, our active surveillance demonstrated RV-associated hospitalizations throughout the year. Genotyping of a subset of RV-samples demonstrated high frequency of G1 (39%) and G4 (32%). Adenovirus was detected in 350 acute gastroenteritis-associated hospitalizations (11.2%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, we present national disease burden data on severe cases of gastroenteritis and specifically RV-associated disease and demonstrate that RV is indeed ubiquitous in the population and can be considered a major health burden among young Danish children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. thea@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Thea K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rungoe
authors.forename: Claus Sixtus
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Morten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Breindahl
authors.forename: Tine Rikke
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Jens-Peter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malon
authors.forename: Vagn
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brændholt
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fisker
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hjelt
mesh_terms: D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012400:Rotavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012621:Seasons